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The annual State Of The City address was presented Tuesday afternoon on the Dauphin and District Chamber of Commerce’s Facebook page.
Executive Director Stephen Chychota highlighted some plans to help local businesses, alongside Manitoba Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Chuck Davidson.
Dauphin Mayor Allen Dowhan focused on two main challenges facing the city — the closure of the Dauphin Correctional Centre (DCC), and the economic impact of COVID-19.
"It’s a big challenge and I know the citizens of Dauphin are up to it.”
The Dauphin Mayor says the city wants to give back to the community.
“That’s why we worked towards a zero tax increase with no cuts in services, and maintained our commitment to infrastructure.”
Mayor Dowhan also imparted some words of encouragement to people in the City of Sunshine:
“We have to move forward. You hear the term ‘new normal’ all the time. Things aren’t going to be the way they were; we have to adjust to the new normal in our community and welcome change. That change is going to come quicker than it has before. We have to provide our hometown spirit to rebuild our community, with the hope of maintaining our population and possibly growing it. It’s a big challenge and I know the citizens of Dauphin are up to it.”
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- Contributed by Matt Hamel
Manitobans will get a bit of a break on vehicle registration fees, which are set to go down by 10% beginning July 1.
Crown Services Minister Jeff Wharton made the announcement Tuesday, saying the government is working hard to find ways to provide relief for Manitobans.
Most people will see a $15 decrease from the existing registration fee; the cost will be $139.
The annual registration fee applies to non-commercial vehicles, such as passenger cars, sport utility vehicles, light trucks, farm vehicles, motorcycles/mopeds and personal-use trailers and trucks.
The existing fee for registering government and municipal vehicles will be unchanged.
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- Contributed by Matt Hamel
Police are keeping a closer watch on an intersection at the centre of multiple fatal collisions over the past few years.
On August 16th, 2019, two children aged 4 and 6 were killed in a collision at the intersection of Road 147 N and Highway 362, approximately 1.5 km north of Dauphin.
On June 23rd, 2018, a man and a woman were killed in a two-car collision at the same location.
Dauphin RCMP has investigated several dangerous driving offences at this location in the past week, and will now be out conducting extra enforcement.
Police are reminding residents to drive sober, wear a seatbelt, slow down, pay attention to the road at all times, come to a complete stop at stop signs, and do not proceed into an intersection until it is safe to do so.
To report dangerous driving in the Dauphin area, call 204-622-5020.
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- Contributed by Matt Hamel
An additional case of the novel coronavirus has been identified today in Manitoba.
The case is related to the workplace cluster at a trucking company in Brandon. There are now 11 cases associated with the cluster.
The total number of confirmed and probable cases in the province is 290; there are 32 active cases, and 7 people have died.
There are four individuals in hospital, with one person in intensive care.
In the Prairie Mountain Health region, there are 26 cases confirmed, and 1 probable.
For a detailed look at the provinces reopening plan, click here.
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- Contributed by Matt Hamel
Calls relating to wildfires, field fires, and brush fires are down for the Dauphin Fire Department compared to previous years.
Dauphin Fire Chief Cam Abrey says this is a good thing because a lot of responsible RM of Dauphin residents are getting burn permits to deal with crop residue or to clean their yards.
“So if you see smoke, doesn’t necessarily mean there’s a fire out of control, so you don’t have to call 911 right away. If you do see fire, you do see the flames or the smoke, take a look around, make sure that there’s somebody present before you dial 911 immediately. The purpose of the burn permits is to reduce the amount of calls that we have from people driving down the highway and they see the flames or the smoke.”
Burn permits are available through the RM of Dauphin, call them at 204 638-4531 for more information.
Abrey says permits are available free of charge.
“It stipulates within the burn permit, that the fire must be kept under control at all times, that you as the property owner or resident are responsible for all property damage that may result, you are required to fireguard the area as per the provincial wildfires act, you can’t just set a fire and leave it unattended, and then you also have to be careful of the wind conditions and weather conditions and if they are extreme, then we discourage lighting those fires.”
Every time someone gets a permit, the DFD is notified and they mark it on their map. Since permits are good for one week, the fire department is constantly updating the map.
Penalties for breaking the RM of Dauphin’s burning by-law vary. If the person has a burn permit, has done their fireguard, and they’re present, but the fire gets out of control accidentally, there’s no penalty. Abrey says if there’s any kind of negligence involved, the RM will charge a fee.
“So, if you had a permit, you lit it, and you walked away, there’s a penalty involved with that. If it’s no permit issued and then the fire department has to respond, there’s a fee that’s charged for that. It’s basically dependant on the duration of the call because in addition to the fee or the violation that’s issued, then it’s also the cost of the fire that’s tacked onto it.”
The RM of Dauphin determines how much the fee is, there isn’t a set amount.
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- Contributed by Isaac Wihak
Seniors in Canada will be getting a one-time, tax-free top-up payment from the federal government.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made the announcement today that nearly 7 million senior citizens will be receiving relief cheques.
Seniors who receive old age security will get $300, and seniors who receive the guaranteed income supplement will receive an additional $200 to help with expenses related to COVID-19.
That’s a total of $2.5 billion that'll be provided with this relief measure.
A separate measure offered by the provincial government offers Manitoba seniors a one-time $200 tax credit, that can be expected by the end of the month.
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- Contributed by 730 CKDM
The province has announced that Sung’s Restaurant in Dauphin has been fined $486 for failing to comply with the special measures issued by public health officials.
The restaurant was closed May 5th , and was allowed to reopen after a few days.
Six Winnipeg businesses have already been fined and closed for violating public health orders, this is the first instance outside of Winnipeg.
The government continues to patrol and monitor the situation.
Reports of non-compliance can be made to the Manitoba Government Inquiry line at 1-866-626-4862.
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- Contributed by Isaac Wihak
Today is the 150th anniversary of Manitoba joining the Canadian Confederation.
Although many of the Manitoba 150 celebrations planned across the province have been put on hold to slow the spread of COVID-19, there are still ways to celebrate with your family.
Here are some virtual options to celebrate Manitoba Day:
- In celebration of Manitoba Day, Archives of Manitoba is now posting digitized films from their holdings online. The first uploads feature Manitoba’s history, including a film about the 1926 opening of the downtown Winnipeg Bay store, a 1959 film about a public health issue in the province and a 1968 film about Manitoba in the winter. Visit Your Archives Online Event – Manitoba Day 2020 – Archival Films and Videos.
- Archives of Manitoba is also commemorating Manitoba Day with Your Archives: The Histories We Share, a year-long initiative which offers Manitobans the opportunity to choose an archival record and explain why that record matters. For more details, visit Your Archives.
- In honour of Manitoba Day, the Association of Manitoba Museums (AMM) is highlighting artifacts from their online exhibit, “A Museum Called Manitoba.” The AMM will feature a different artifact each day in May on Instagram and Twitter. For more details, visit A Museum Called Manitoba: 150 for 150 Exhibit.
If the kids are looking for a way to celebrate Manitoba Day, the province has released a Manitoba flag colouring activity that you can download here.
If you’re in the mood for more colouring — make sure to check out the 730 CKDM Colouring Book Contest. Just visit the contest page on the 730 CKDM website, download a picture of your favourite CKDM personality, and colour away!
Remember to take a picture of your masterpiece, and share it with CKDM on Facebook.
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- Contributed by Matt Hamel
Manitoba Hydro is beginning their yearly inspections of wooden hydro poles across the province.
This week contractors will be out in the Dauphin area, making repairs to extend the life of wooden hydro poles.
Bruce Owen with Manitoba Hydro previews what you can expect to see happening around the community.
“People who will be identified as Manitoba Hydro contractors will be digging around the pole, maybe injecting insecticide into the poll if needed.”
Contractors may be riding ATV’s to access the poles; Owen says it’s important to be mindful of the workers when on the road.
“They’ll be travelling along roadways. We need to remind people, if they see these people doing work on the poles, please drive carefully.”
Hydro contractors may also need to access private property, as every wooden hydro pole needs to be inspected.
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- Contributed by Matt Hamel
Parkland Regional Library members are set up pretty nicely right now — with a new curbside pickup program, and a wealth of e-resources available to them.
Allison Moss is the Director of Parkland Regional Library, says the new contact-free pickup just requires you to call or email the library in advance, and place an order for a specific book.
“We are asking people to look at our local collections right now — so if you’re in Dauphin and going to pick up books in Dauphin — it’s best to take a look at what’s available in the Dauphin location.”
Once your order is placed, you’ll set up a convenient time for pickup, and librarians will set the books outside on a table for you.
Just remember to call the library when you arrive, or knock on the door if you don’t have a cell phone.
Anyone interested in setting up a library membership can do so over the phone. A membership gives you access to the curbside pickup service, and a variety of e-resources found on the Parkland Regional Library website.
One of the e-resources available is called Libby — an online e-reader system with access to thousands of books. There’s also an online video streaming service called Kanopy that features courses, documentaries, and plenty of content for children and adults.
For more information — or to set up a membership — email the library at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., or by phone at 1-866-638-6410.
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- Contributed by Matt Hamel
Here’s an important piece of information if you’re planning to get a rebate cheque from Manitoba Public Insurance (MPI).
MPI is reminding customers who have recently moved to update their mailing address with the Corporation to ensure their rebate cheque is sent to the correct location.
If you need to change your mailing address, call your Autopac agent or MPI’s Contact Centre toll-free at 1-800-665-2410 — before the cutoff of May 16.
The rebate cheque is expected to be around $140 to $160 for the average policyholder.
Rebate cheques are expected at the end of May to early June.
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- Contributed by Matt Hamel
